It’s been a rough year for Ian Desmond. With free agency and a potential $100-million contract on the way, the shortstop is hitting .224 with five homers and 15 errors, quickly watching his chances at a big contract slip away.
Desmond is one of several key players for the Nationals set to hit free agency after the 2015 season, and was long considered the smart choice to invest in long-term. However, with the former All-Star bringing Washington down on both sides of the ball, it’s time to move on.
While he may be a shadow of his former Silver Slugger self, Desmond could still draw a fair amount of attention on the trade market due to name value alone. With depth being an across the board in Washington, the Nationals could use Desmond as a means to acquire the necessary bench pieces to help overcome injuries to Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman and others while immediately upgrading at shortstop in the form of Espinosa or Escobar. They could use the shortstop to acquire a bullpen arm, which another area the Nationals are reportedly trying to address.
Espinosa is currently filling in at first base for the injured Zimmerman, but could easily slide over and be replaced by Clint Robinson, who has impressed at the plate and would actually be an improvement offensively over Desmond. While that does take a bench bat out of the mix for late-game situations, there are plenty of depth options to be had on the trade market and the versatile Emmanuel Burriss is swinging a hot bat at AAA Syracuse.
Just a few months ago it would’ve been laughable to suggest the Nationals had a better shot at a World Series without their star shortstop, but Desmond has been a liability to the team’s postseason hopes and getting him out of the starting lineup would go a long way towards leapfrogging the Mets in the National League East standings. There’s beneficial pieces to be had in return and the change of scenery could likewise be beneficial to the struggling Desmond. He may be a fan favorite, but the Nationals may have to say farewell to the last Montreal Expo a few months sooner than anticipated.
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